Former Lagos governor and a National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Tinubu on Monday declared that he had informed President Muhammadu Buhari of his presidential ambition for 2023.
Asiwaju Tinubu disclosed this while addressing State House Correspondents after a closed-door meeting with Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The APC stalwart, however, said he was yet to publicly disclose his ambition, which he described as a lifelong dream, as he was still in consultations with various interests across the country.
When asked if he had informed Buhari of his ambition, the former Lagos Governor said: “I can answer that with a categorical yes. I’ve informed the President of my intention but I’ve not informed Nigerians yet.
“I’m still consulting and I have no problem consulting and I’ve not set a parameter of limitation to the extent of how many people will I consult.
“You will soon hear all you want to hear, it’s a categorical declaration. You’ve gotten that truth from me that I’ve informed Mr. President of my ambition and you don’t expect more answers than that.”
Asked about Buhari’s response, he said: “He’s a democrat, he didn’t ask me to stop. He didn’t ask me not to attempt and pursue my ambition. It’s a lifelong ambition.
“So, why will I expect him to say more than that? Why do you? You are running a democratic dispensation and you must adopt the principles and virtues of democracy.”
Tinubu will not be drawn into discussing the rumoured presidential interests of other aspirants on the platform of the party, including Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, saying he would not discuss individuals but himself and his capacity for the office he aspires to.
“I don’t want to discuss individuals now. I must discuss myself. I have the confidence, the vision, the capacity to rule, build on the foundation of Mr. President and turn Nigeria better. I’ve done that with commitment and unyielding efforts in Lagos State.
“You’ve seen that experience and the capacity to turn things around and that is what we are doing. The confusion, the drift of the past in PDP is being corrected and you can’t take away from that. As we are today, go back to the data on how many barrels of oil were we producing when we first came in and what it is today.
“Even at the time we came in, we could not pay the counterpart funds to start our rail line. Today, you enjoy the comfort of having rail from Lagos to Ibadan, you have the Kaduna and you have the one for Kano still on the aggressive pipeline. You see excellent infrastructure.”
“I’ve never seen the cap of a kingmaker before, that is the truth and I’ve never seen where it is written in the rule book, anywhere in any country, that a kingmaker cannot be a king, unless you commit murder.
“So, whatever is your attribute is your own opinion. Me, I want to pursue my ambition without the title of a kingmaker. You can write your literature and your story based upon your own perception,” he said.